Irresponsible Development in Porter Ranch

Hal Bernson has finally announced at the April 13 hearing that he backs the $2-billion Porter Ranch plan.

This plan is irresponsible development in that his proposed Regional Center is six times the size of the General Plan maximum. Imagine the scope of it: two-thirds the size of Century City. Five times the square footage of the Northridge mall. The environmental impact report estimates 15,000 additional trips per hour of traffic generated by this new development in afternoon rush hours.

What will be destroyed here in our Valley? Our community as it was planned to be, with low-density residential housing and open areas for equestrian interests. Our precious wildlife will be sacrificed on the altar of development. We will see our hills graded into oblivion.

The developers assure us they can “mitigate” all of these things and more to a “level of insignificance.” How intriguing it would be to see them accomplish that feat. The only thing to be satisfied by a project of this scope is the developer’s greed.

Hal Bernson’s statement that the Porter Ranch project “is in fact only a plan” and “requires continuing citizen review as each phase is implemented” really arouses skepticism. Which group of citizens is Hal Bernson referring to? Is he referring to his constituents who are concerned with the declining quality of life here in the Valley? More than likely, he is referring to the people he appointed to his citizens’ committee in 1987--the same people who drew up the present monstrous plan. Maybe he just means Nathan Shapell. After all, Porter Ranch Development/Nathan Shapell’s $50,000 in contributions to Mr. Bernson could make a difference.

Wake up, all Valley residents! Look at Ventura Boulevard and Encino. We must band together to preserve our beautiful community. Did we settle down here only to drown in a sea of commercial development, tile roofs, 15-story office buildings, smog and gridlock? No! It’s time to stop the rape of our beautiful hills and canyons. It is time to respect the habitat of our wildlife. Most of all, it is time for responsible growth sanctioned by the majority of the residents, not just a select few and the developers who stand to gain enormous profits from the decimation of our environment.

JANIE STUCKER

Northridge

Stucker is an official of PRIDE, an organization whose name was derived from the initials of Porter Ranch Is Developed Enough.